Cuttle Creek Stream Restoration – A Case Study for Habitat Improvements in the St. Clair River Area of Concern (Fri Oct 27th 9:00-9:30am)

August 16, 2017

Marty Boote
Our collective legacy of impacts on the Great Lakes resulted in loss of aquatic habitat and degradation of fish and wildlife populations. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada has sought to change that legacy by identifying specific Areas of Concern (AOCs) where beneficial uses have been impaired (BUIs), and developing Public Advisory Councils (PAC), Remedial Action Plans, and Delisting Targets. The PAC identified several habitat improvement projects with the collective potential to improve fish and wildlife habitat and increase fish and wildlife productivity, including the Cuttle Creek Restoration project. Construction was completed in 2015 by the City of Marysville in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Environmental Protection Agency. Restoration efforts included stabilization of the profile and dimension of the channel, raising the streambed to eliminate fish passage limitations at culverts, removing an irrigation dam and impoundment, diversifying instream habitat, and improving riparian corridor habitat for wildlife. Aquatic habitat was improved along 3,000 feet of stream channel, while approximately 14 acres of riparian habitat was improved. Post construction monitoring in 2016 demonstrated how our collective efforts to address our past legacy of environmental degradation by starting a new legacy of environmental stewardship.